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New “Invisible” Skyscraper to Be Built in South Korea

It will house observation decks, a movie theater, a roller coaster, and a water park.

Skyscrapers and other tall monuments have become iconic all over the world: Paris is known for the Eiffel tower, New York for the Empire State Building, and Seattle for the Space Needle. Tourists travel to these cities wanting to see the buildings that make the skylines unique. South Korea is taking a different approach with the construction of a new 1476 feet (450 meters) tall building — Tower Infinity will be designed to be “invisible.”

“Instead of symbolizing prominence as another of the world's tallest and best towers, it sets itself apart by celebrating the global community rather than focusing on itself. The tower subtly demonstrates Korea's rising position in the world by establishing its most powerful presence through diminishing its presence. Korea will have a unique position of having the ‘best’ tower by having an ‘anti-tower’,” says GDS Architects on their website.

What exactly is meant by invisible? Well, there will be cameras that capture the surrounding area and project it onto screens covering the building. “The invisibility illusion will be achieved with a high-tech LED facade system that uses a series of cameras that will send real-time images onto the building's reflective surface,” says CNN.

Courtesy of GDS Architects

Tower Infinity will not only be distinctive because of its invisibility, it will also include the third highest observation tower in the world and be the sixth highest tower — after Tokyo SkyTree, Guangzhou's CantonTower, Toronto's CN Tower, Moscow's Ostankino Tower and Shanghai's Oriental Pearl.

It is to be built near the Incheon International Airport, located just outside of Seoul, to encourage tourists to visit, and it will house a movie theater, a roller coaster, and a water park, as well as food and beverage outlets.

In a press release, Charles Wee, AIA, GDS Principal says, "Instead of symbolizing prominence as another of the world’s tallest and best towers, our solution aims to provide the World's first invisible tower, showcasing innovative Korean technology while encouraging a more Global narrative in the process.

Courtesy of GDS Architects

Tower Infinity won’t be the first building to strive for invisibility. The Mirrorcube, a hotel in Sweden, is covered in mirrors so that it blends into the surrounding forest.

I’m sure Tower Infinity will be quite the sight — or lack thereof — once it is built, although the completion date has yet to be released.